Valentine's Day
by Ray Lou
Summary: Jack thinks Valentine's Day is the perfect time to take Jamie out on their first date. They go to the Warren where they have a picnic with a nice view of the eggs' coloring pool. Unfortunately, the drinks that Jack packed in the basket aren't "alcohol" free.


Dear Bunny,

I'm gonna do. I'm gonna pop the question. Not for marriage, though I'd love to do that in the future when marriage between a spirit and a human is legalized. (I have doubts about that.)

Next week, I'm gonna tie mistletoe to my staff and dangle it over Jamie's head. Then I'll kiss him and ask him to be my Valentine. And when he says 'yes' I will ask if he wants to be my boyfriend. It's going to be quick and untraditional. Not just the mistletoe. Mistletoe isn't for Valentine's Day (obviously), but I'm a winter spirit so it makes perfect sense. Also Jamie hates sweets so a box of chocolates isn't the way to go. (But he really likes fruit.) And he has enough teddy bears from his ex's who all broke his heart. So if I give him another teddy bear (which I would have to steal from North's workshop) he might connect it to his failed relationships (the longest of which lasted three months). And I'm a special snowflake. (Jamie called me Snowflake last month and I almost started crying. He was half asleep so it was really cute. He's like a little kitten. Or a bunny. A cottontail bunny. LOL! Remember when you became Peter Cottontail? Jamie was so in love with how fluffy you were. Everyone was actually. Tooth was going starry eyed.)

Anyways! After I kiss him I want to take him on a date. It'd be perfect if you opened a tunnel for the two of us to travel to the Warren. He really loved the world in that blue people movie. _Avatar_ I think it's called. The Warren's a perfect mix of nature and surrealism, so a picnic there = amazing! If you could set up a picnic by the coloring pool, I'll love you forever. On a hill where there's a big view of your eggs is good too.

Do you respond as quickly as a rabbit? Hop to it!

-JF

#

Frostbite,

I don't like you, but I like Jamie, so I'll help.

I'll set up a blanket near the coloring pool. There's a hill that overlooks it and a nice portion of the Warren. Are you bringing food or should I provide for you?

~Bunny

#

Dear Bunny,

That's perfect! I don't know how to cook or buy food, but Jamie does. I was thinking he could teach me how to cook during the date. Not romantic? I THINK NOT. I'm going to pull a bunch of romantic moves on him, like let him guide my hand and stuff. I'm also going to slip innuendos. ;)

Set up a mini kitchen by the pool (portable stove, ice box, you know). When you crack your eggs (the ones in the pool) does candy come out or do they have yolks? If they have yolks, are they colorful? Like rainbow? I think it'd be fun to fry rainbow eggs.

-JF

#

I sincerely hope you are joking because I will skin you if you touch my eggs.

#

Calm down! I was _joking_! Oooh. Italics. Did you see that? **Bold. **I just realized I could do that.

I'll bring the food before I pull the moves on Jamie. Do you think I'd trust you to provide the food? You'd poison it so I'd throw up all over Jamie or something.

I'll drop by tomorrow to talk.

-JF

#

Something round and light smacked against the back of Jamie's neck. He almost didn't see the crumpled paper on the ground. He picked it up, looking for someone who might have thrown it. Students walked past, obvious.

Yo yo Jamie. Meet me at the lake after school. Bring NO ONE. _NO ONE. __**NO ONE.**_ _**NO ONE.**_ (I love the things you can do to font. It's like putting emphasis on words without saying it.)

-Snowflake

"Oh Jack…" Jamie smiled. Valentine's Day was sucking major balls. Nearly everyone he knew had significant others or a Valentine to spend the day with. He had been hoping for at least one boy to show interest in him, and when none did, he broadened his hopes to include girls, but everyone was busy with each other. Ending the day with Jack was a blessing, a welcome diversion.

He tried not to dwell too long on the linked hands of couples for the duration of school. There were two more classes until he was free. Just two more classes of Valentine Grams and mushy couples and heart balloons and bouquets of roses and giggling and talks of dates and special evenings. Just two more hours and then he was free. Two hours.

Two hours of something he never really had.

Two hours of hell.

It was going to suck.

It did.

#

"You wouldn't believe how sucky today was," Jamie told Jack. "I had to sit through twenty Valentine Grams and you have no idea how much I wanted to vomit all over the choir groups." He hung his backpack on a tree branch which creaked under the weight before snapping with a loud crack. The backpack hit the ground with a crunch. "That's what my heart sounded like today."

"Broken heart? Did someone turn you down?"

Jamie laughed bitterly. "As if I have the courage to ask someone out."

"Then be glad that I have a lot of courage be_cause_…" Jack danced a strange mix of the cha-cha and Gangnam Style to the tree next to Jamie's backpack. He pulled out his staff, something thin and green dangling from its hook.

"Mistletoe?" Jamie laughed. "You do know that's for Christmas, right?"

"Do you think Jack Frost gives a damn?" Jack pulled Jamie close with his staff's hook so that they were chest-to-chest and face-to-face. Jamie sputtered nonsense when Jack righted his staff and dangled the mistletoe over their heads. "Will you be my winter valentine?" Jack asked.

"I think I left my brain at school." Jamie's voice was as weak as his knees; wobbly and ready to give way. "You want to…ask me. _Me._"

"Yes you."

Jamie was suddenly aware of the cool arm hugging his waist and the cool body he was pressed against. Jack had a really firm body. Probably firmer than any of Jamie's past boyfriends.

Disturbed by the track his thoughts had taken, Jamie thought of something else: the mistletoe hanging above their heads.

"W-where do you want to go?" Jamie asked.

"Somewhere special."

"Like where?"

"Like through that hole." Jack snapped his fingers into a finger gun pointed at the ground behind him. There was a crumbling sound and then the ground warped open into a human-sized bunny hole. "Totally nailed the timing."

"Yeah yeah. You're welcome." Bunny hopped out from behind a tree, rubbing his arms. "Freezing out 'ere." He hopped in the hole.

"W-what just happened? What was he doing here?" Jamie asked.

"He was supposed to stay hidden. But nooooo. Got too cold to stand out for another minute." Jack grumbled and shook his head. Then he smiled and gestured chivalrously to the bunny hole. "You can slide in if you want, or I can carry you. Your choice."

"It'd be nice if you carried me – _w-woah!_"

Jack had shoved his staff into Jamie's hands and then swung him up into a fireman's hold. He pressed a chaste kiss to Jamie's lips. "Keep a tight grip on that for me." His breath was cold against Jamie's lips, his hands cold as well – but not as cold as before he kissed Jamie.

"O-okay." Jamie kept his eyes on Jack's staff, focusing on the thrumming power he could feel and not the closeness of Jack. (Or the body that was _definitely_ firmer than his ex-boyfriends'.)

#

"Through the bunny-hole and into the Warren." Jack set Jamie down on his feet.

The grass was spongy and seemed to tickle the soles of Jamie's boots as if they were saying hello. Jamie almost dropped Jack's staff when the verdure of the Warren filled his vision.

"It's just as beautiful as I remember," he said. "More beautiful actually."

They were standing on the crest of a hill, looking over the vast grasslands and the eggs' large coloring pool. There was a line of eggs waddling into the pool, some diving in head first from a ledge. Their spindly legs stuck out of the water as they drifted into the branching river.

Jack easily took his staff from Jamie's slacked grip. "I knew you'd love the view. That's why we're having a picnic here." Jack clasped Jamie's shoulder and pointed at the plaid blanket behind them.

There was a large open basket with ripe fruit and bottles of colorful liquid sticking out. A bouquet of red roses lay at the center of the blanket.

Jamie was speechless as Jack went to the blanket and picked up the roses. He dropped his staff in their place and then turned around with a crooked but delightful smile. "Catch." He tossed it to Jamie who fumbled with it in his shock. "No thorns," Jack said, "I wouldn't hurt you. Not like your exes who all suck."

Jamie sniffed the roses. "They're the sweetest smelling roses I've ever smelled," he said. He wanted to say something more, but he couldn't piece anything together to say that wasn't irrelevant or gibberish. He was terrible on first dates. (Was this a one-time thing?) His exes would agree, and some of them had commented on Jamie's lack of social skills during first dates. They didn't find it quirky. They found it childish.

He thought of complimenting Jack's appearance, but Jack had looked the same for the past eight years.

"Thanks for taking me out," Jamie said. Thankfulness couldn't go wrong.

"We've only just started." Jack laughed.

Oh. Right. Jamie's face colored and he joined Jack on the blanket, joints stiff as he folded his legs Indian style. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?" Jack dragged the basket over and unpacked the fruits and drinks. The bottled drinks were label-free and looked like they hadn't been purchased from a store. The fruits also were free of labels, and Jamie had a gut instinct that they were handpicked. It made everything seem more personal.

Jamie busied himself with polishing a red apple. "I'm awkward on first dates."

"First dates? So they'll be more?" Jack tossed a wrapped sandwich on Jamie's lap.

"But what are we? We're on a Valentine's date and you're kind of…flirty." Jamie blushed. "So is this a pity thing for me or are you…interested?" Jamie bit into the apple, sweetness bursting in his mouth and covering the bitter taste of his negative thoughts.

"It's not a pity thing. I like you. A lot. I've been waiting for a chance to get you alone. What better chance than Valentine's Day? I just had to hope that no one would ask you out."

Jamie swallowed a mouthful of half chewed apple. He barely winced.

"We can talk about this later. Just eat and enjoy yourself. It's kind of entertaining to watch the eggs jump in the water." Jack's eyes lit up.

"I know that look." Jamie laughed. It was the look Jack had when a mischievous game or prank came to mind.

"I have the greatest idea. Eat and then we'll go fishing." Jack winked.

#

Jack plucked the long leaves from a tree and used them as fibers to string together a net in the hook of his staff. He grabbed Jamie's hand and led him to the pool's side.

"Won't Bunny get pissed?" Jamie asked.

"Of course he will." Jack eyed the upside down eggs spiraling to the river. The current was fast and their paths zigzagged as they bumped into each other and the shores of the pool. Jamie couldn't find a pattern – if there were any – to their movement.

Jamie watched Jack's as he focused on the eggs, eyes mapping their movements. There was something captivating about his silent concentration. He was often loud and active, always moving around.

Standing still, head only moving enough to follow the eggs, and hands flexing on his staff, Jack looked…different. His mouth twitched into a calculating smile, and he seemed sure of himself.

And before Jamie could switch thoughts, Jack's mouth was on his. As quickly as he realized _something _had changed, their lips were separated and Jack was sticking his staff into the pool. He whipped it out immediately, and an egg flew in the air.

Jamie couldn't think fast enough to catch it. Jack grabbed it, fingers inches from Jamie's chest.

It was all in a matter of seconds.

"What just happened?" Jamie licked his lips. Jack's peppermint chilled touch lingered on his mouth.

"What do you think happened?" Jack asked, rubbing the swirling head of the egg.

"You were looking at the eggs… You kissed me… And then you caught one."

"Pretty much." Jack held his staff to Jamie. "Your turn."

"I suck at fishing."

"Just stick it in and wait for an egg to bump in it. Simple as that."

And Jamie had thought that there was more thinking involved. He felt stupid, embarrassed, and still reeling from Jack's kiss.

In less than thirty seconds he had his own egg. And in less than one minute, Jack had fished out ten eggs. He was still drawing them out. Jamie brought the basket down and they filled it with the eggs, joking about their wriggling and rolling as they tried to jump out.

"I feel guilty," Jamie said after witnessing an egg thrash from side to side in frustration after multiple failed attempts at jumping out. "But it's so funny to watch them."

"Sadistic pleasure, right?" Jack snorted and tugged Jamie close by the sleeve of his sweater. He kissed him again, and this time Jamie didn't zone out into a time warp. It was short, maybe four seconds, but Jamie lived every moment of it. He remembered the changing pressure of Jack's lips at each second and the pounding of Jack's heart against his chest.

"You'll find this hilarious then." Jack gave Jamie his staff and scooped out an egg from the basket.

He faced the opening of the pool into a river, and chucked the egg.

"_Holy shit_. What the hell are you doing?" Jamie tried not to laugh, but the sight of the egg's flopping legs was too much to handle. "You're going to crack it!"

There was a distant splash.

"Nah. They have really hard shells and the river goes out really far. It'll survive." He handed Jamie another egg. "You have a go."

"This is egg abuse," Jamie laughed, but he chucked it anyway.

Jack whistled. "Nice pitch."

"What if I missed the river?"

"It'll probably crack."

They looked at each other.

Jack burst into laughter and Jamie followed. Choking through laughter, they chucked eggs at the river.

The sight got a tight hold on Jamie's mirth and he couldn't stand. He fell heavily on his bottom as Jack threw the rest. Jack then used his staff to toy with the eggs spiraling in the pool. He flew over it and tried to steer some eggs in the opposite direction.

"He goes left… Takes a sharp right… Shit! Takes a direct hit…" Jack announced in a sportscaster voice, face turning red from his held in laughter.

"You're so bad!" Jamie laughed.

Jack swept his staff across the pool's surface and a thick coat of rainbow ice appeared. He stood on it and used his staff to pull it to shore. "All aboard!"

Jamie stepped on it, clutching to Jack's shoulders for balance.

They rode down the river, laughing and poking at eggs as they drifted along. They reached the shallow end where the eggs they had thrown had waddled. Jamie counted all twelve of the eggs in one piece, all of them with colors dripping off their white shells. Apparently they hadn't spent enough time in the pool to dye their shells permanently.

One of them butted against the ankle of Jamie's boot. "Are you head-butting me?" Jamie laughed and plucked the egg by its leg.

"_Down!_" Bunny's enraged shout startled Jamie into tossing the egg backwards. It landed in the river with a plop.

"What the bloody hell do you dill faces think yer bloody doin'?" Bunny hopped to them with one of the bottles from their picnic. It was less than one fourth full. "Drinkin' _this_?" Bunny's death glare was on Jack who had started to giggle in a high voice. "I told you _not to drink this_."

"Temptation is strong, Cottontail." Jack grinned with all his teeth.

Jamie tried not to snicker and failed.

Bunny turned his glare to Jamie. It was frightening, but Jamie couldn't do anything to keep the smile off his face or his snickers down. "How much did ya drink?"

"Don' 'member. A lot? It tastes like the greatest fruit punch to exist. I couldn't keep my mouth off the bottle." Something funny struck him and he doubled over laughing. "Don't know what's so funny but, did you see the eggs fly?"

"I did." Bunny sniffed and reached down to stroke his eggs reassuringly. "You drank kiddieberry juice."

"Kiddieberry? Pffft. Sounds lame." Jack nudged Jamie, catching him off balance. Jamie almost toppled into the pool, but he caught himself by grabbing onto Jack's arm. His face felt like someone had lit it on fire. He coughed and scrubbed at his cheeks, giggling under his breath.

"Away from the edge before you fall in." Bunny grabbed Jamie's hand and tugged him forward. Jamie lost his balance and fell on his hands and knees.

"You hurt him!" Jack accused, suddenly furious and all the levity gone from his eyes. Sparks erupted from his grip on his staff. He lunged at Bunny, shouting something like a war chat.

"_Oi!_ Frostbite!" Bunny stepped back, eyes huge, and kiddieberry-infused Jack fell on his front. He grabbed Bunny's ankle and ugly patterns of frost raced up his leg's fur. The pooka howled and tried to shake Jack off. He toppled over.

Jamie would've laughed.

Something thick wrapped around his ankle and tugged him back. His mid was clear enough to understand that he was getting pulled back. A colorful root was wrapped tightly around his ankle, retreating into the river.

"J-Jack!" Jamie clawed at the ground, tugging at grass that shied away from his reach. "_Jack!_"

Jack looked back just as the root snapped back in the river, yanking Jamie in.

#

Jamie sat on the grass, wrapped in the picnic blanket. His clothes were deep shades of the rainbow and more, his skin thankfully free of the color, but his hair dyed rainbow as well.

His head was clear of the kiddieberry's influence, but now he had a terrible headache in place of its alcohol-like hold.

The root that pulled him in the river had come from one of Bunny's sentimental eggs. They had deep connections to all the plants in the Warren, which included controlling their movements. One egg had gotten a hold of the Jack and Jamie's rude behavior and decided to use a root to pull one of them in.

Jamie wished Jack had been pulled in instead; Jack didn't have to worry about going to Earth and worrying about people seeing how ridiculous he was.

"The colors should wash out of your hair in a week. Your clothes will probably never be the same. Sorry," Jack said as he joined Jamie on the hill.

He followed Jamie's gaze to the small crowd of eggs at the foot of the hill. They were some of the eggs that had been fished out.

"Apparently this is their way of protesting us," Jamie said.

"Interesting…"

"I feel really bad." Jamie dropped his chin to his chest. "How can I make it up to the eggs?"

"Put them back in the pool so they can finish their coloring?"

"They'll do that later. Don't you feel bad too? We treated them like toys."

"Yeah… I do. But we can't go back and change that. They survived the tosses and we should be thankful for that." Jack lied on the grass and tugged on Jamie's upper arm until he lied down too. "So was this date a bust or what because I have a feeling that I fucked up big time."

"It was fun. Forgetting about getting drunk out of my mind that I start abusing little eggs, it was really nice."

Jack rolled on his side and looked at Jamie, looked at him more than just physically, but deeply looking through his eyes into his soul. Jamie flushed and wished that at least his cheeks were covered in some of the purple dye so Jack couldn't see the heat that made his freckles prominent.

Jack wormed his body to Jamie and Jamie rolled onto his side.

"If I invite you to dates without the getting-drunk-and-abusing-eggs activity, would you be interested?"

"Honestly…" Jamie enjoyed the little doubt that crossed Jack's face. "…I'm interested in more than just dates."

Jack lit up. "Really?"

"Really."

Jack kicked a leg over Jamie's waist and slid their bodies flush together. "How about we go to North's workshop and play with the yetis and elves?"

"I'd like that." Jamie pressed his lips to Jack's with newfound confidence.

* * *

**A/N: **This has been in my one-shots folder ever since Valentine's Day. I didn't have enough time to get to it, but now I do! :)

This is dedicated to rollingstarr and angelwhoisinlovewithyou (both on tumblr). Two sweethearts. ^^ You should check out their artwork. Seriously.


End file.
